Jaguar XK Audio Upgrade

Jaguar XK Audio Upgrade.

The standard audio system in the Jaguar XK consists of a set of 6.5” components in the front doors and a set of rear 6” coaxes in the rear quarter panels. They are all driven from the radio/Sat-Nav unit.

The sound is pretty poor with little or no bass and no top end detail. When we began to dismantle the vehicle it became apparent that there is little or no sound proofing in the doors or rear quarters which goes some way to explaining the problem, combine this with nasty speakers and no power and it all becomes clear.

This upgrade was going to be tough as the customer had set the fantastic Jaguar Bowers and Wilkins system fitted as a factory option as our benchmark. We happened to have a KX RS with the Bowers and Wilkins here at the same time!

There is no room for a sub so we decided to use the best speakers we could in the stock locations which would be our favourite Audison Voce; an amazing sounding speaker, properly fitted with Dynamat sound proofing and a very powerful, compact as well as excellent sounding, Hertz HDP4 Class D amp.

We built solid MDF baffles for all the speakers and spaced them forward to seal against the trim panels. We installed as much Dynamat as possible in the doors and rear quarters to create the best environment for the speakers as we could.

Above Left: This shows the Audison Voce 6.5” Coaxial speaker fitted in a solid MDF baffle in the rear quarter of the Jaguar XK. Above Right: This shows the Audison Voce bass unit fitted to the front door of the Jaguar XK in a solid MDF baffle, note the Dynamat that can be seen around the speaker, this is also applied to the inner door and door panel to create an acoustically dead enclosure.

The Dynamat sound proofing is incredibly important, it is applied to the inner skin of the door and internal frame of the door itself, as well as the back of the door leather panel.

Above: This picture shows the Dynamat sound proofing applied to the inner skin of the door, this stops resonance and helps the speaker reproduce bass without vibration, it’s very time consuming but very worthwhile.

The Hertz HDP4 produces 4 x 120W true RMS, this in real terms is massive amount of power however, it’s not just about making a system play loud. It’s about the amplifiers ability to control a speaker to give an accurate sound. The Audison has a very effective high level input and incorporates an auto switch on function allowing it to interface with the factory radio perfectly.

The Hertz HDP4 amplifier was mounted out the way next to the battery on a custom plinth over the navigation computer, once set up there is no need to access the amplifier again.

Above Left: This shows the plinth fabricated to support the Hertz HDP 4 amplifier above the Navigation Computer. Above Right: This shows the amplifier neatly wired and installed in it’s almost meant to be there location! Well out of harms way with nice short battery cables, always a plus.

The system was a definite success, even though there was no room for a sub the four speakers produced ample bass, it was actually incredibly extended and very accurate, the front end, as always with the Audison Voce was incredibly detailed and very musical, a very happy customer and pretty close to the Bowers and Wilkins benchmark!

System cost £1599 including installation, 3 year warranty and VAT.

This is a two day install and courtesy cars are available.

This meticulous attention to detail is exercised in every installation, not just the systems featured on our web site. To back this up at the end of the installation you will be presented with an SD card containing a series of photos of your actual vehicle showing the job from start to finish. We are very proud of our workmanship and we want to share it with you!

If you want to take your Hi-Fi to the next level, we can add an “Audison Bit 10” for the ultimate in control, this allows for de-equalization of the factory head unit as well as time alignment and a 31 band EQ all set up from a lap top using the revolutionary “Audison Bit Tune” the cost of the “Plus” option to include the Audison BIT 10 is an additional £399 inc VAT and set up.

Using the software supplied with the Audison BIT 10 you will be able to connect your laptop to the car and tune your system to your individual taste!